"The West Wing's" Recurring Characters Quiz

Answer: Jorja Fox

Special Agent Gina Toscano of the United States Secret Service, played by Jorja Fox, was originally assigned to President Bartlet's security detail. First appearing in the episode "20 Hours in L.A.", she was appointed as the lead agent assigned to protect the President's youngest daughter, Zoey, upon her enrollment at Georgetown University. Toscano was present during the shooting at Rosslyn, Virginia depicted at the end of the episode "What Kind of Day Has It Been?" and followed up in the two-parter "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen". Jorja Fox appeared in a total of five episodes of "The West Wing"; initially intended as a recurring character, Fox left to fulfill her commitment to the new show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation".

When that show became a hit, Fox did not return to "The West Wing", and the character of Gina Toscano was not referred to again.

Answer: Kenny

Kenny Thurman, played by Bill O'Brien, makes his first appearance alongside his boss, Joey Lucas, in the episode "Take This Sabbath Day" when he travels with Joey to meet with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. Because Josh is badly hungover when they arrive, he has difficulty processing the situation of Kenny interpreting Joey's angry words.

However, over time, Joey and Kenny become trusted advisors, first to Josh, and then the rest of the staff in the White House. Bill O'Brien appeared as Kenny in a total of 15 episodes.

Answer: Curtis

Curtis Carruthers, played by Ben Murray, first appears in the episode "In The Room" as the President's new Personal Aide. A seemingly personable and affable young man, he is physically the polar opposite of Charlie Young, being tall, broad and strong.

This is a useful quality when, during a trip to China on Air Force One, the President suffers paralysis as a result of an MS attack. While the rest of the staff debate getting the President off the plane using a hydraulic lift, he gets Curtis to bodily lift and carry him off instead. Ben Murray appeared in a total of four episodes as Curtis.

Answer: House Committee on Oversight and Reform

Cliff Calley first appears in the episode "Ways and Means", where he is working as the Majority Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. In this role, he serves as the lead legal advisor to the majority Republican group on that committee, which is holding investigations into the conduct of President Bartlet and his administration over the President's non-disclosure of his multiple sclerosis during his first election campaign.

However, when one Republican member of the committee attempts to use the proceedings in an effort to publicly embarrass White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, Calley persuades the committee chairman to suspend the hearings, after which Calley is authorised to reach an agreement with the White House to censure the President. Calley returns in "Drought Conditions" as a lobbyist, and impresses first Leo, and then C.J. Cregg, so that C.J. hires him in the role of Deputy Chief of Staff. Cliff Calley appeared in a total of seven episodes of "The West Wing".

Answer: United States Army

Admiral Percy Fitzwallace was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs prior to the election of President Bartlet, and served in the role during the President's first term, and the earliest part of his second. Upon Fitzwallace's retirement in 2004, he was replaced in the role by General Nicholas Alexander, an officer in the US Army. Prior to his appointment to the most senior position in the armed forces, Alexander had a distinguished career, particularly in the Pacific region, before serving as the US Army Chief of Staff and Vice-Chairman of the Join Chiefs. General Alexander, played by actor Terry O'Quinn, appeared in a total of seven episodes of "The West Wing", with his first coming in the episode "Disaster Relief".

Answer: Mark Harmon

Simon Donovan is introduced in the episode "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" as a member of President Bartlet's security detail who is assigned as personal protection to the White House Press Secretary, C.J. Cregg, who has received death threats. During this period, he reveals that he was present during the shooting at Rosslyn, Virginia, and was the one who shot the would-be assassin. Following the capture and arrest of C.J.'s stalker, Donovan is killed while attempting to prevent a convenience store robbery while part of the President's entourage in New York City. Mark Harmon as Donovan appeared in a total of four episodes.

Answer: John Larroquette

Lionel Tribbey, played by John Larroquette, is the fourth White House Counsel under President Bartlet. An outspoken, almost maverick figure, Tribbey left a lucrative law practice in Chicago to assume the role. Tribbey first appeared in the episode "And It's Surely to their Credit", in which he finds that the Republican Ainsley Hayes has been hired to serve in his office as an Associate Counsel.

This was the character's only appearance in the series. Although John Larroquette was asked back to play Tribbey during the revelation of President Bartlet's multiple sclerosis, he sought a more regular role, feeling that to be an occasional recurring character might hurt his chances of obtaining work on other shows.

As a result, the character of Oliver Babish was introduced in the episode "Bad Moon Rising".

Answer: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Mike Casper first appears in the episode "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" when, as a favour to Josh Lyman, he comes in to the White House to discuss with Sam Seaborn the activities of an individual convicted of espionage in the 1950s.

He subsequently becomes the FBI's liaison with the White House, coming in to brief the senior staff on law enforcement issues that the Bureau and other agencies are involved in. This is despite his initial reluctance to be involved in briefing either Leo McGarry, the White House Chief of Staff, or President Bartlet himself, which he suggests is "above his paygrade". Mike Casper appears in a total of eight episodes between seasons 2 and 5 of "The West Wing".

Answer: Colorado

Following the resignation of Vie-President Hoynes, President Bartlet attempts to have his Secretary of State, Lewis Berryhill, appointed as a successor. However, Berryhill's popularity leads Republicans in Congress, led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to indicate that Berryhill would not be confirmed by the Senate, given he would be the presumptive Democratic nominee to succeed Bartlet.

Instead, Congressman Bob Russell, who represents a district in Western Colorado, and is one of a list of seemingly unappealing candidates put together by the Speaker, is selected to become Vice-President. Russell was played by Gary Cole, and appeared in a total of 22 episodes of "The West Wing", with his first being "Jefferson Lives".

Answer: False

Bruno Gianelli first appears in the episode "Manchester, Part I", after he has been hired as the Campaign Manager for President Bartlet's re-election campaign. Gianelli is seen as a political shark, prepared to do whatever might be necessary to get the victory, but is very good at what he does. Following President Bartlet's landslide victory, Bruno declines the offer of a job in the administration, leaving at the end of his contract. Four years later, he returns as the campaign manager for Governor Eric Baker's run at the Democratic presidential nomination, before becoming a senior campaign advisor to Senator Arnold Vinick, the Republican nominee in the 2006 election. Ron Silver as Bruno appeared in a total of nineteen episodes of "The West Wing".

Answer: India

John Marbury, Marquess of Needham and Dolby, Earl of Croy and Baronet of Brycey, first appears in the episode "Lord John Marbury", when he is brought in as an advisor to the White House by President Bartlet during an escalating border skirmish between India and Pakistan, Marbury being an expert on the Indian subcontinent. Marbury is subsequently appointed as the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States; during his tenure in this post, he remains a significant source of advice to President Bartlet. Roger Rees appeared as Marbury in five episodes.

Among the errors related to John Marbury are that he is described as the former British Ambassador to India - both the United Kingdom and India are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and their diplomatic representatives to each other are called "High Commissioner" rather than "Ambassador". Additionally, he is generally referred to as "Lord John Marbury" but, as an hereditary marquess, he would be generally referred to by his title, and thus would most likely be "Lord Needham".

Answer: Boston Globe

Danny Concannon is a journalist with significant experience of covering the White House, having served as part of the Press Corps for eight years prior to the election of President Bartlet for a number of publications, including TIME Magazine, the New York Times and the Dallas Morning News before his current position with the Washington Post.

As such, he is a favoured reporter with the Senior Staff, having a friendly relationship with President Bartlet, and an ongoing flirtation with Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. Timothy Busfield appeared in a total of 28 episodes as Danny Concannon over the course of "The West Wing", with his first appearance coming in the show's third episode, "A Proportional Response", and his final appearance in the penultimate episode, "Institutional Memory".

Answer: Maryland

Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt is the United States Representative for Maryland's 5th District. She and Toby Ziegler, the White House Communications Director, divorce early in President Bartlet's first term. She is a ranking member of the House International Relations Committee and, thanks to her good relationship with her ex-husband and other members of the administration, is often called on for assistance, either as a senior member of Congress, or as a leading Democrat, as when she provides assistance in helping the President prepare for the upcoming presidential debates during his re-election campaign. Kathleen York appeared as Andrea Wyatt in a total of fifteen episodes during the run of "The West Wing", with her first coming in the episode "Mandatory Minimums".

Answer: Josh Lyman

Stanley Keyworth first appears in the episode "Noel" as a trauma specialist working for the American Trauma Victims Association. He comes in at the behest of Leo McGarry to talk to Josh Lyman, whose behaviour had been increasingly erratic, and led to him angrily shouting at President Bartlet. Stanley diagnosed Josh with PTSD as a result of his serious gunshot wound at Rosslyn, Virginia.

The following year, Stanley is brought back, this time to talk to the President himself, who has been having trouble sleeping; despite Stanley being a trauma specialist, and not an expert on sleep disorders, he is trusted enough not to divulge what the President might tell him. Adam Arkin appears in three episodes as Stanley Keyworth.

Answer: House Majority Whip

Congressman Jeff Haffley is an United States Representative from the state of Washington. A right-wing conservative, Haffley is the polar opposite of the liberal President Bartlet, and is therefore a thorn in the side of the administration, particularly when he is elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, having served as the Majority Whip.

It is Haffley who prevents the nomination of Lewis Berryhill as Vice-President, and subsequently brings about a shutdown of the federal government as a result of his reneging on a deal with the administration over the federal budget. Steven Culp first appeared as Speaker Haffley in the episode "Jefferson Lives", and made a total of nine appearances in "The West Wing", with his last coming in the episode "A Good Day".